ACKMA Journal #1 – June, 1988

A remarkable variety of lighting devices have been used in Australian show caves, and at least one of  these seem to be relatively unusual.

We are probably all aware of the early use of candles, either placed in the cave in advance of a tour, or hand-held by visitors.  But we also know that candles are by no means adequate.  The first actual description of a tour to the Buchan Caves which 1 have found reports one way of improving on candlelight:

"our guide teased out a quantity of stringy bark and saturating it with kerosene applied a match and in a twinkling of a second, we were looking on thousands and thousands of stalactites and stalagmites." (Broom, 1886).

Meanwhile at Jenolan, brass candle-holders were used which held the candle inside a tube with a spring to force the lighted end against a small hole to accommodate the wick- The flame thus protruded into a reflector and the dripping of wax was virtually eliminated.  These gradually came into widespread use. Magnesium ribbon was also used at Jenolan at least as early as the 1860's, simply by breaking off a length of ribbon and holding it in the hand while it burnt (Havard 1934).

The next refinement was the magnesium lamp.  These fed a length of burning magnesium ribbon through a hole in the centre of a reflector.  The first of these simply consisted of a reflector with a reel to hold the roll of magnesium ribbon, which was then fed by hand.  However, these were soon replaced by the improved version which used a clockwork motor to feed the ribbon.

These lamps were first developed (in Germany) as a lighting device for photographers and more detail of their origins will be dealt with in a forthcoming book by Chris Howes on the history of cave photography. The remarkable thing is that Australia seems to be the only place where they were used for show cave lighting.  This seems to have been initiated by Jeremiah Wilson of Jenolan, and other cave managers actually purchased their magnesium lamps from Jeremiah.

Then, of course, on July 22, 1880, E.C. Cracknell demonstrated the use of electricity to light the Margherita Cavern at Jenolan.  By 1887, Cracknell had installed a steam-driven generator plant which lit the whole of the imperial Cave.  We have been unable to trace any earlier use of electricity for cave lighting, and it seems reasonable to claim this as a world first. (Electric street lights were only introduced in London in about 1878).  Then the steam engine was replaced by the Leffel Wheel hydro-electric system: probably the first hydro-electric plant in Australia (Havard 1934).

Meanwhile, even at Jenolan, electricity did not go unchallenged. The proponents of acetylene gas argued that it provided better lighting at lower cost, and acetylene plants were used at a number of caves - some relics of such plants were still in place at Scott's and Baldocks Caves at Mole Creek when I visited them a few years ago.

Gas generators were designed and manufactured by Faul of Bendigo. One William Bradley invented the "Improved Automatic Acetylene Generator", which was manufactured under licence by Brandt Bros. In Melbourne and financed and marketed there by Moate Eaton & Co., while W.F. Gray was the manufacturer and marketer in Adelaide.  There were probably many others, but 1 have the advertising pamphlets from these two groups, each of which make grand claims for the quality of acetylene lighting.

Ernst Holland and I are looking at the possibility of manufacturing replicas of both the candle-holders and the magnesium lamps for use in historic tours.  We would be glad to have any indication of interest in this idea. Also, of course, any other information on early lighting would be most welcome.

REFERENCES
BROOME, R S. ("Tanjil"), 1986, Our Guide to the Gippsiand Lakes and Rivers. Melbourne M. L Hutchinson. 3rd Edition
HAVARD, W. L, 1934, The Romance of Jenolan Caves, J. & Proc.  Royal Australian Historical Society, 20 (1): 18-65.